Just finished The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes.
It's about a time-travelling serial killer. Not exactly my normal fare, but I like to mix it up a little -- and it was very enthusiastically reviewed. The time travel puts an intriguing spin on a pretty hackneyed formula, and Beukes' obvious interest and investment in the victims gives their demise an extra jolt of poignance. There are dual protagonists, the killer, who is compellingly written, and one of his victims, who manages to survive a brutal attack and starts investigating her attack when the police -- not surprisingly -- draw blanks.
Writing was patchy, I thought. Beukes' description is accomplished: she can definitely set a scene and describe the exterior world. The chapters narrated from the killer's pov are strong, focussed, and fast. But she falters, it seems to me, when she's describing Kirby (the other protagonist) and her mentor/love interest. Their scenes seem predictable and lack the authenticity she conjures up for practically everyone else. That part of the story seems a little ho-hum and bogus.
Still, an interesting read. I'd grade it a 'B'.
I'm now moving onto McGlue, by Otessa Moshfegh...